--- title: "B. Lynn Winmill | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/b-l-winmill" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # B. Lynn Winmill U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho - State: Idaho - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, D. Idaho, 1995-present - President Bill Clinton nominated Winmill to the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho on May 24, 1995, to fill the seat vacated by Judge Harold Lyman Ryan - taught as an adjunct professor at Idaho State University — 1991–1995, covering courses in criminal procedure and legal history - Judge, Idaho District Court, Sixth Judicial District, 1987-1995 - In 1987, Governor Cecil Andrus appointed Winmill as a judge for the Sixth Judicial District of the Idaho District Court in Pocatello - After law school, Winmill began his legal career in private practice in Denver, Colorado, from 1977 to 1979, before returning to Pocatello, Idaho, where he practiced law until 1987 ### Education - Harvard University — J.D. (1977) - degree — Idaho State University in Pocatello, serving as student body president during his undergraduate years — B.A. (1974) ### Additional information - Winmill held the role of chief judge from 1999 to January 1, 2019, and assumed senior status on August 16, 2021 - received his commission on August 14, 1995 - He held the role of a state trial judge from 1987 to 1995 and held administrative leadership roles from 1992 to 1995, including administrative district judge and chair of the Idaho Evidence Rules Committee - Private practice, Pocatello, ID, 1979-1987 - Private practice, Denver, CO, 1977-1979 - Barry Lynn Winmill was born on March 18, 1952, in Blackfoot, Idaho, and grew up on a dairy farm, where he developed a strong work ethic and practical outlook on life - Date of birth: 1952-01-01 - Imposing a record 17-year sentence for environmental crimes in the Allan Elias case Winmill has also contributed extensively to judicial education, mentoring new judges, instructing on complex litigation, trial practice, case management, and judicial technology, and training judges and prosecutors internationally in countries such as Jordan, Afghanistan, and Thailand - Birth place: Blackfoot, ID ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### presentation procedure Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: AMX Control Panel at Lectern: The AMX control panel has been referenced several times above and the main menu is illustrated at the left. The panel facilitates operation of the evidence presentation devices and selection of the audio/video sources. The first four functions have been discussed above. [Boise_Courtroom_Technology_Manual_276.pdf](https://idd.uscourts.gov/Content_Fetcher/index.cfml/Boise_Courtroom_Technology_Manual_276.pdf?Content_ID=276) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389946) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389946) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1389946) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3514/barry-lynn-winmill/) - [Boise_Courtroom_Technology_Manual_276.pdf](https://idd.uscourts.gov/Content_Fetcher/index.cfml/Boise_Courtroom_Technology_Manual_276.pdf?Content_ID=276) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3514/barry-lynn-winmill/) - [Wikidata: B. Lynn Winmill](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4834097) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/b-l-winmill", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/b-l-winmill", "name": "B. Lynn Winmill | KnowJudges", "description": "B. Lynn Winmill, U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/b-l-winmill#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/b-l-winmill#judge", "name": "B. 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Lynn Winmill", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/b-l-winmill" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 156 | 23 | 1 | 23 | | 2y | 299 | 65 | 2 | 65 | | 5y | 659 | 309 | 4.9 | 309 | | 10y | 1453 | 1089 | 7.1 | 1089 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.